Geriatric Coffee Convos: Spoiler; Halle Berry Does Not Have Raging Herpes!
On this Geriatric Coffee Convos, Sonia and Jessica discuss a viral TikTok post about the need for separate waiting rooms at OBGYN offices for women who have experienced pregnancy loss, a geriatric celebrity mama baby announcement, Krystal Anderson's passing after a stillbirth, and Halle Berry's experience with ‘sexy menopause’.
Topics discussed in this episode:
Welcome to This Coffee-Less Coffee Convos! (10:58)
Separate Waiting Rooms At OBGYN Offices? (11:55)
Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden Welcomed Their Second Baby Last Weekend! (19:52)
Krystal Anderson, A Former Cheerleader for the Kansas City Chiefs, Died Following the Stillbirth of Her Daughter (24:24)
Halle Berry’s Doctor Told Her that She Had The Worst Case of Herpes He’s Ever Seen. (31:25)
The Funny Shit Doctor’s Say (43:34)
A Little After Show About The Zodiac Signs As Mamas Episode (45:01)
“I would have appreciated a separate waiting room, that was kind of hard for me to read because I was kind of thinking about that experience and having that same exact feeling.”
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Woman Calls for Separate Waiting Rooms at OBGYN Offices After She Experiences Pregnancy Loss (People.com)
A TikToker opening up about her experiences trying to conceive is getting honest about the accommodations those struggling should have access to.
TikToker @indiabatson went viral on the platform earlier this month when she made a video making a "recommendation to OBGYN offices," going on to propose "a different waiting area if you're there for a miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy, a ruptured ectopic pregnancy."
"If you're there for a loss, I'd like there to be a separate waiting room than the regular waiting room because sitting in that waiting room next to tons of pregnant women while you wait to go back to get bloodwork to see if your HCG is back to zero sucks, like it absolutely sucks."
Speaking to PEOPLE, she explains. "I've experienced back-to-back pregnancy losses, and in September of last year, I had a ruptured ectopic pregnancy and had to be rushed into emergency surgery to remove my fallopian tube on the right side. Then, a couple of months later, we began to try again, and we got pregnant in January of this year, and I had a miscarriage last month."
India found that the women in her life didn't open up to her about pregnancy loss until she disclosed her own, despite it happening in one in four pregnancies.
"I think it's something that society has placed a stigma around. Women often experience guilt and shame. It's something we don't shine a light on. We don't speak about it, hiding in our homes and dealing with it alone," she explains.
When returning to her OBGYN to check her bloodwork, India experienced "a rush of emotion that I was not expecting from being back in the same room where I found out that my child had passed away inside of me," she says.
"One day, I was sitting in a waiting room with my husband, looking at the ultrasound photo of our baby. Two weeks later, when I filmed that video in the waiting room, I was in the exact same room. This time, I'm alone, and my husband's no longer there. There is no longer an ultrasound photo in my hand. It's just the complete opposite experience," she continues, noting that being around pregnant peers made it sting that much more.
"I'm so happy for those women who are pregnant, I celebrate them ... But sitting next to visibly pregnant women in that waiting room when you were there for a follow-up after pregnancy loss is mentally challenging, to say the least," she says. (People.com)
Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden Welcomed their Second Child Over the Weekend (SheKnows.com)
Celebrity moms love announcing surprise babies (hello Chrissy Teigen, Paris Hilton, and Halle Bailey, and it’s easy to see why. It’s fun to shock the world by hard-launching your new baby! And we definitely were shocked by the latest couple to drop their baby news: Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden. This star-studded duo was apparently “always hoping” for another baby to add to their family, and they finally got their wish!
ICYMI, the Good Charlotte rockstar and Charlie’s Angels star announced over the weekend that they welcomed a baby boy named Cardinal.
“We are blessed and excited to announce the birth of our Son, Cardinal Madden❤️🙏,” Madden wrote on a joint post on Instagram. “He is awesome and we are all so happy he is here!”
He added, “For the kids safety and privacy we won’t be posting any pictures — but he’s really cute ☺️ We are feeling so blessed and grateful 🍀Sending much love from our fam to yours 🙏❤️Best wishes and Good Afternoon!! 🤘⚡️”
Diaz and Madden, who are also parents to daughter Raddix, 4, had been wanting another baby, according to reports. “They were always hoping for a second baby, because they love being parents,” an insider told PEOPLE. “For years, Cameron wanted to be a mom. She gets very emotional when she talks about the long journey to motherhood. She feels beyond lucky to now have two children.” Now we’re getting emotional, because that is too sweet!
This baby news seems to prove a July 2022 source right, who told Us Weekly, “Cameron and Benji have discussed having another child and have even been looking into surrogate options for a while now. Benji always wanted a big family, and Cameron didn’t need to be persuaded after the arrival of their daughter.” (SheKnows.com)
Krystal Anderson, Former Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader, Dead at 40 After Stillbirth (ETonline.com)
Krystal "Krissy" Anderson, a former cheerleader for the Kansas City Chiefs, died on March 20 of sepsis following the stillbirth of her daughter, Charlotte Willow Anderson, at 21 weeks. She was 40.
According to her obituary, the former cheerleader died "unexpectedly" on March 20, shortly after she delivered her stillborn daughter. A GoFundMe set up in her honor says Anderson's "fight with sepsis led to organ failure, and she was placed on life support." She then "underwent three surgeries, but the source of infection remained elusive."
"In the early hours of March 20, surrounded by her devoted family, sweet Krissy passed away," the tribute continued. "Her radiant smile could light up the darkest room, and her sassy responses never failed to bring laughter and joy. She loved with her whole heart, leaving an imprint on everyone fortunate enough to know her.”
According to her obituary, Anderson worked as a yoga instructor and software engineer after cheering for the Chiefs from 2006-2011 and 2013-2016.
While working as an engineer at Oracle Health, Anderson was awarded a patent for developing software that assesses the risk of postpartum hemorrhage.
"Krystal radiated joy and laughter to everyone she encountered," the obituary reads. "She was passionate about philanthropy, working with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of KC, Gabriella's Little Library, and the First Hand Foundation. She fiercely advocated for Black women in STEM and women's health."
In addition to daughter Charlotte, Anderson was preceded in death by son James Charles, who also died in infancy.
Anderson is survived by her husband, Clayton, parents Bertha and Burnette (BJ) Johnson, brother Corey Johnson, grandmother Carrie Banks, and several other extended relatives and in-laws.
The article also says: “There is a GoFundMe which aims to "help cover the medical expenses incurred during [Krystal's] fight, contribute to a meaningful memorial service, and establish a legacy fund. This fund will support causes and initiatives that were close to Krissy's heart. Let's ensure that her name lives on, not only in our memories but also in the positive actions we take in her honor. Together, we can continue the magic she brought into our lives and make a difference for others." (ETonline.com)
“My doctor had no knowledge and didn't prepare me,” the actress, 57, said.
Halle Berry is detailing the bizarre way she learned she was in sexy menopause.
During Propper Daley's fourth "A Day of Unreasonable Conversation" summit Monday, the actress had a candid conversation with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden about menopause and women’s health.
The 57-year-old shared that she learned she was perimenopause after her doctor mistook her symptoms for herpes. Perimenopause refers to the time where the body starts to make its natural transition to menopause, which marks the end of a woman's reproductive years.
“First of all, my ego told me that I was going to skip [perimenopause],” she began. “I'm in great shape. I'm healthy. I managed to get myself off of insulin and manage my diabetes since I'm 20 years old. So that makes one think, oh, I can handle menopause. I'm going to skip that whole thing. I was so uneducated about it at that time.”
Berry explained that when she was 54 she met the “man of my dreams” and started dating Grammy-winning musician Van Hunt. Sharing details about her sex life, the Oscar winner recalled having extreme pain after intercourse one day so she immediately visited her doctor.
“I feel like I have razor blades in my vagina. I run to my gynecologist and I say, ‘Oh my God, what's happening?’ It was terrible,” she recalled, teasing that she has “no shame” sharing her story because it can help other women. “He said, ‘You have the worst case of herpes I've ever seen.’ I'm like, ‘Herpes? I don't have herpes!’”
Berry said she immediately confronted Hunt about it. However, the couple later both tested negative for the sexually transmitted disease (STD).
“I realize after the fact, that is a symptom of perimenopause,” the actress said, noting that dryness is a symptom of the transitional period. “My doctor had no knowledge and didn't prepare me. That's when I knew, ‘Oh my gosh, I've got to use my platform. I have to use all of who I am, and I have to start making a change and a difference for other women.”
Berry ended the conversation asking the audience to “help us change the way culture views women at this stage of our life.”
Back in August 2023, the star spoke to Women’s Health about menopause and said she’s not going to surrender to society's expectations about it.
In fact, Berry said she’s “challenging all those stereotypes about how you have to look a certain way or feel a certain way” while she’s “smack dab in the middle of menopause.”
“I am challenging everything I thought I knew about menopause. Things like: ‘Your life is over.’ ‘You are disposable.’ ‘Society no longer has a place for you.’ ‘You should retire.’ ‘You should pack it up,’ ” she said at the time. (People.com)
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